Sharon had known this discussion was going to be difficult. Her mother had told her the sooner she did it the easier it would be for Mindy to adjust. Sharon on the other hand was having a hard time adjusting to the guilt that she was feeling. Ruth and Jennifer tried to assure her that she and Mindy would always have a place in the old Washington Loop home. But Sharon couldn’t shake the feeling of being a burden, it was time for her and Mindy to move out on their own.

Tha is how they ended up sitting on the bench in the front yard. The same bench that Sharon and Mindy’s father, Mark, had made out on years earlier while Sharon’s parents were asleep. Jennifer had suggested she talk to Mindy in her room but Sharon needed the crisp early spring air to clear her mind and strength her resolve. Mindy didn’t seem worried about the talk and happily read the crafting magazine left by the front door while her mother collected herself.

“Mindy, dear, we’re moving” She quickly blurted out.

She hadn’t expected the easy tilted head of acceptance or the bright hopeful smile or Mindy’s next question. “Okay, mommy. Are we moving to daddy’s?”

The guilt was back. She stared at her feet as they slowly moved back and forth pushing snow around and tried to find a response that would not break the little girls heart. Maybe this conversation would have been better in Mindy’s room where Jennifer could have listened in from the doos and assisted when Sharon got stuck.

“No, Mindy. Not with daddy. Remember daddy’s at Fort Dixie in the Coast Guards. You and me are moving not as far away as daddy. We’ll stay here in Oasis Valley. You’ll be able to see Grandma Susan, Grandma Jennifer, and Uncle Robert’s new babies all the time.”

Again the sensible little tilt of the head and a happy smile “Can we bring the pink furniture that’s in your room?”

Just glad that the whole thing went so well, Susan agreed. At that minute she would have agree to almost anything. She tickled Mindy and sent her in the house to bed. It was late and she was exhausted.

Jennifer had watched the whole scene from a window. She couldn’t hear what was being said but she had been ready to step in at the first sign of distress. Sharon scared her, all her children scared her but Sharon scared her the most. Her flighty, gypsy attitude wasn’t good for child rearing. Jennifer had hoped when Mindy was born Sharon would have gotten her act together, but no such luck. There were moments of hope, like this talk, but they were few and far between. She stood over Mindy’s bed as the child slept and worried. Worried for Mindy’s future. Worried for Sharon’s future. Worried that somewhere, somehow she forgot to teach her children a lesson and that they would suffer. She worried that she had failed.

I am working on my writing style so my future updates might be a little wordy from now on. The Crabtree household normally takes two post for me to properly update each round. This time it will be three. I had wanted this post to cover two different events before the wedding post but this was much deeper than I had anticipated so it gets it own separate section. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Next time there will be more. Promise.

Mindy grow up at the start of this round but it really didn’t make it to this update. So, below I present Mindy toddler spam (only two pictures). I love how toddlers play and look in the snow.